Stormlands retaliation War on Raven
Prelude The Stormlanders, had, in the past, engaged the Incan Emperor and his men during several raids on the Andes range. These small skirmishes had eventually stopped when the Inca had allied themselves with the unstable Raven-Karamagne alliance, however, these alliance had mostly been distrustfull of one and other due to Headcrusher126's continuous forays into other factions' lands. Casus Belli, Declaration of war and Skirmishers When dxsora2 left Raven to Karamagne, the relations soured between the long time allies and Nino was left in charge of the Raven politics in Headcrusher126's "name". Nino contacted King Jalzara while exploring diplomatic options, however, the King wished only for vassals and not real allies. However, Headcrusher126 was near Dragonstone and by the time Nino agreed to being Jalzara's vassal, Headcrusher126 attacked him and slew him. The now angered King of the Stormlands declared war on Raven and marched his men towards New Raven. Despite the Ravens scoring significant casualties on the Stormlander forces arrayed around Dragonstone, losses in skirmishes, attrition, and disease had weakened the far-flung Raven expeditionary forces considerably, leaving their numbers in parity with their foe. With so many troops dedicated abroad, the Raven homeland was left defenseless and victim to looting, killing of livestock and the construction of propaganda structures around the capital to demoralize the homefront. As a result, a call was made to the Emperor of the Inca to help patrol the lands of Raven: one that was answered, with resentments towards the Stormlands going back to the early Conquistador raids in the Andes. Inca join the War Upon finding Stormlander troops in the Raven plains, the Inca sounded the conch shells and began beating the war drums. A small army descended from the mountains upon the unorganized troops of House Jalzara, and after a brief chase were slain. With war now in full swing, the respective armies regrouped in their homelands, drawing in increasingly large hosts until at last King Jalzara led his troops out of Dragonstone on the long sail to the Andes, and the floating fortress of Ollantaytambo. Battle of Ollantaytambo The Sapa Inca meanwhile called upon the hosts of Mesa Verde, Whitehall, and Cuzco for the military mit'a, whilst recruiting additional troops at the eleventh hour. However, particularly critical in the battle approaching upon the horizon, was the hiring of the experienced warrior benz282, a veteran of wars dating back to the very beginnings of the official maps. After a considerable wait, as Jalzara consolidated his forces and made the long march to the Andes, their host at last arrived, and began attempting an ascent along the east side of the terraced fortress: one that was easily repulsed through lava drops. The citadel would not be taken so easily. Their initial attempted storm by ladders thrown back, the Stormlands army settled in for a longer siege as they began constructing a siege tower. Meanwhile, the leader of Shinra, an otherwise uncommitted corporation, held the bridge leading into the fortress in a vice grip while on horseback, preventing the flow of additional reinforcements into Ollantaytambo and slaying numerous would-be observers. Whilst Jalzara's army busied themselves with the tower, a pair of brave Incan warriors dropped from the sickening heights into a small pool below, before flanking and dispatching Ditronian, ending the blockade and leaving the Stormland Army vulnerable in the fields of the Urubamba Valley. With Ditronian slain, the way laid open for a sally into the open field, so the potential for a stunning victory lured the Incan forces out. Having rallied together his forces, the Sapa Inca led the charge alongside Benz towards the Stormlanders, who were divided as they ferried forward replacements for a pair of soldiers killed by Inca marksmanship. The siege tower was cleared first, as a lone and unfortunate Stormlander was stranded from the rest of the army. The rest, streaming forward from their occupation of the Inca capital, were put to a rout by the determined resistance and subsequent counterattack by the Inca army. The fleeing troops were all run down, including the King, Jalzara, who after losing some 7 troops with only two kills to their name, sued for terms and surrendered. Shinra intervention Despite the victory at the Battle of Ollantaytambo, a formal end to the conflict was delayed as King Jalzara requested a guarantee of sovereignty from Raven before putting down his signature. This delaying tactic, and a furious campaign of diplomacy, meant by the following day the tides that once were fully in favor of the Raven-Inca alliance had turned against them. Shinra, who had participated in the battle the previous night, and Ithlum, with their experienced corps of veteran troops, had joined the Stormlands in their war against the southern nations. Having secured the agreement of Raven's leaders for a guarantee of Stormland's sovereignty, the Sapa Inca met with the King and asked for a closure of the war. He would be sorely disappointed. As the Sapa Inca sat atop Ollantaytambo, as once before, an army of Stormlanders and Shinra employees, surged up the causeways ringing the citadel. Despite deploying lava as a delaying tactic, without his troops at hand, the situation was dire. At last, crack troops from Shinra nether pearled atop the upper tier: alone, the Emperor stood his ground, slaying one before himself succumbing, and being held prisoner in the fortress barracks. The rest of the allied army ascended to the upper tier and sacked the armories, killing an Incan as he logged on while leaving little of value, before going on a series of patrol in search of Father Headcrusher126, former leader of Raven. Ithlum's and Karamagne's involvement The Sapa Inca was not without hope. A detachment of mercenaries, who volunteered on the dangerous mission, left Karamagne to liberate the Inca Emperor from his captors. When they arrived, the occupying garrison was out on patrol, and giving Tiberius a set of armor they fled the fortress: one, however, was caught by returning troops from Shinra as they made their escape. Once out of reach from the alliance led by Stormlands, they traveled to the safezone to reequip and regroup, however, Ithlum troops had joined Shinra's army by this point, moving the balance on the Stormlands' favour once more. The alliance army was not far behind, however, and once discovered by Ditronian, the army composed of Tiberius, Mayonessa, RabidCareBear, Guyava, and Headcrusher126 took to the surrounding hills to await their advance. After several probing scouting missions from the Inca-Raven Army, the allied forces at last advanced into the forest to meet them, being of roughly equal strength. Despite the experienced veterans amongst the allied army, the dense forest and the cohesion of the main body of the Inca-Raven army smashed through and targeted the Stormlander contingent, as part of a strategy to break the weakened Stormlands and end the war. Jalzara, Doctor Munkey, and Ditronian were all slain, at the cost of the lives of Headcrusher and Guyava, who was separated from the main group and overwhelmed. However, victory soon turned sour, as the Shinra corporation declared war on the volunteers' homeland of Karamagne in vengeance for their assistance in the campaign. With an ultimatum presented, the Karamagne troops filtered one by one back home, leaving the Sapa Inca alone and in despair. But a miraculous upset for the Inca and Raven and a disastrous surprise for the Stormlands at last turned the tide. Peace Growing bored of the conflict, the Ithlum forces killed the Stormlanders remaining manpower. After these deaths by the hands of Killahghosty and Selukon, all sides made peace, ending the wars on the server. Ithlum proclaimed themselves victors and returned to their capitol of Cat.